Gears of War E-Day Emergence Walkthrough (Act 1 Chapter 1)

Emergence is the first playable chapter of Act 1 in Gears of War E-Day, picking up right after the Prologue as Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago push through the opening moments of the Locust invasion. The route is almost entirely linear, running from a bar in Downtown Kalona to the front doors of the Police HQ, with short combat encounters that teach melee and your first firearm.

Quick answer: Follow Dom toward the gunfire, fight through the Wretches and emergence holes along the main road, cut through the maintenance tunnels, free the trapped civilians, then climb into the alley and enter the Police HQ door to end the chapter.

Image credit: Xbox Game Studios via YouTube/@Maka91Productions

What happens in the Prologue before Emergence

The Prologue runs five hours before the emergence. It opens with a maintenance worker hunting for a train in an underground tunnel, discovering everyone on board dead, and then being attacked by a group of beasts.

The scene then jumps to the Sanctum of the Fallen, three hours before the emergence, where Dom and Marcus reflect on the sacrifice of Carlos Santiago. The two head to a bar in Downtown Kalona, and while they share a beer, tremors start shaking the city. Marcus, Dom, Lucas, and Mags leave to investigate, which hands you control and starts the Emergence chapter.

Full Emergence walkthrough from the bar to Police HQ

Follow Dom out of the bar and head down the street toward the sound of gunfire. Keep to the main road until you reach the area outside Jackson’s Discount Furniture and the Mini Mart, where a cutscene introduces the first creatures of the invasion.

When the cutscene ends, a horde of Wretches climbs out of the emergence hole. You only have a melee weapon at this point, so close the distance and use melee attacks to clear the group.

After the next short cutscene, turn right from the hole in the road and keep moving toward the Police HQ. Stay on the main road and melee any creatures that appear on the way.

Approach the crashed police car ahead to trigger a cutscene where you pick up a handgun, your first firearm. Continue forward until another opening breaks in the ground, then deal with the creatures that pour out before advancing.

At a blocked stretch, a creature erupts from the ground. Turn left to find a door, open it, and enter the maintenance tunnels. Continue along the route, then descend to the lower level.

Open the door on the left and push through the debris until you find a ladder. Climb it to return to street level.

Keep moving forward, clearing creatures as you go, until you reach another hole in the street. Look for an opening on the right and go through it to find civilians pinned under rubble. Walk up to the rubble and interact with it to lift it free, then head back to the road.

Enter the alley on your right and climb the ladder to reach the far side of the wall. Keep running forward and vault over another wall to arrive at the Police HQ.

Enemies ambush you at the entrance. Eliminate the whole group, then use the Police HQ door to enter. Act 1 Chapter 1: Emergence ends, and Survival of the Fittest begins immediately afterward.

All three Emergence collectibles

Emergence holds three collectibles, all found along the critical path. None require a detour off the main route, so grab them as you pass the matching landmarks.

Collectible	Where to find it
Monster Jaw	After the first emergence-hole fight, on the curb in front of the newsstand beside the Mini Mart.
Bloody Transit Worker’s Helmet	Near the end of the maintenance tunnels, on the floor beside a corpse with a lit flashlight.
Front Page of the Kalona Times	After freeing the trapped civilians, inside the Cafe & Bakery on the left of the hole, on the kitchen counter past the door left of the counter.

The Front Page of the Kalona Times is the easiest to miss. Once the rubble is cleared, step into the bakery before continuing toward the alley, since the route to Police HQ moves away from it.

How to know the chapter is finished

Emergence ends the moment you interact with the Police HQ door after clearing the enemies at the entrance. The chapter transition confirms it, and control carries straight into Act 1 Chapter 2: Survival of the Fittest, which begins inside the station as you search for the armory.